


Flying Fists and Flailing Feet

by saveourtiredhearts



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bruce Banner knows the vulcan pinch, M/M, PTSD, all-avengers spar hour, and bucky's doing well!, hey steve actually isn't really sad in this one, kind of, tony is tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-13 03:53:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5693581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saveourtiredhearts/pseuds/saveourtiredhearts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky won't fight Steve. And Steve can't fight Bucky.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Flying Fists and Flailing Feet

“Alright, alright,” groans Clint. Bucky’s holding his wrists above his head, with one knee on his chest, grinning in triumph. It’s the most relaxed Bucky’s been for the past few days, and Steve knows that it was a good idea to propose this.

This, of course, is the first all-Avengers spar hour. They hadn’t had a mission in at least two weeks, and after the first couple of days, had begin to drift away from each other again. Steve had watched it happen, even as he too, started avoiding everyone, going back to lying around in bis own apartments with Bucky, or strolling the streets of New York all day.

But Steve knew there was something good here. The Avengers--it was a _good_ idea. And Steve wanted them to be able to rely on each other, to keep themselves together even when there was no all-encompassing, world threatening reason to.

Hence, the spar hour.

Natasha had already thoroughly kicked everyone’s butts, and was now sitting on the bleachers, smirking. Tony was lying on the floor, the last one to go head to head with Thor, who had also been sent to the floor. Surprisingly, Bruce had been the one to bring him down, with a carefully executed pinch to the pressure point. Granted, Thor hadn’t been paying attention, nor were the two actually fighting, but still. They had all agreed that Bruce still got a massive amount of points for that.

“Next time, knee him in the balls,” had been Tony’s reaction. He’d gotten a small smile out of Bruce for that one.

“That was great, guys,” says Steve, wiping his forehead with a towel as Bucky helps Clint off the matts. “Who’s up for food?”

“Pizza!” shouts Clint, pumping his fist into the air. For a minute, it looks like everyone is heading out the door. Then;

“Hey Cap, why haven’t you and Tin Man sparred yet?” says Tony as he peels himself off the floor.

Steve freezes.

“No,” he says, and hears Bucky say it right along with him.

“I can’t” he says.

“I _won’t,_ ” Bucky hisses.

“But I thought--” Tony starts to say.

“Shut up, Tony,” says Natasha, and that’s that.

 

Bucky won’t fight Steve because at first, he was terrified that some subliminal programming would be sparked the first time they touched, and he’d try to kill Steve all over again. Even when the triggers were removed, he still refused to touch Steve for a while.

Things are better now.

Bucky’s more relaxed--more James Buchanan Barnes than the Winter Soldier. He does have his moments, but then, so does Natasha. So does Clint. So do all of them.

He’s not afraid to touch Steve anymore, but he absolutely refuses to fight him. Steve has reassured him, over and over, that he _knows_ Bucky would never fight him, but Bucky still refuses.

“I can’t do it, Steve,” he says softly late at night. “On the helicarrier--that was--” He swallows. “I won’t fight you.”

Steve nods. He doesn’t push.

Steve can’t fight Bucky. Perhaps it’s because they’ve never fought, not with fists or feet (with words, sure). Perhaps it’s because Steve has always fought bullies and he knows, deep down, that Bucky has never been a bully.

But mainly, it’s because Steve never wants to lift a hand with even the smallest intent to harm, against Bucky.

There was a day, earlier on, when Bucky thought Steve was his handler. Steve never wants to go through a day like that again.

“I won’t be your handler,” he had said to Bucky. “I’m never gonna hurt you Buck.”

Bucky’s his everything. He can’t hurt him, not even if his life depended on it.

That has already been proven.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi to me on tumblr!


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